It was after the dawn of morning. Shippo was the first to wake up that day and as he woke up he immediately looked for his friend miko who he thought had slept late that night. He stood up and looked around to see if Kagome was still asleep. But as he searched for her around the hut, she was nowhere in sight. The first thing then that the kitsune did was to look outside the hut to see if the miko had just walked around the village or fetched some water from the river near by. But as he looked around the village and by the river, he didn't see any Kagome.
Oh…where is she? The kitsune thought, worried of what might have happened to her. The kitsune couldn't think of anything that he could do, so he returned to old Kaede's hut and woke the others up.
"Inuyasha! Inuyasha!" he shook the hanyo to wake him. As he called the hanyo's name he didn't know that he had also awaken the others by his loud voice. The hanyo woke up and saw Shippo on his lap looking at him, with a worried expression on his face.
"What is it Shippo?" Inuyasha asked the young fox demon, "Why did you wake me up this early." The hanyo was angered by what the young demon did that he wanted to punch the kitsune. But then before he could do it, Shippo told him,
"Inuyasha, Ka-Ka-Kagome is…" The kitsune said shaken and almost in tears.
As the hanyo heard the miko's name, he stopped what he was going to do and looked at the kitsune seriously.
"Kagome?" he said and searched the hut for the miko recklessly, "Where is Kagome?" he asked Shippo.
"I-I don't know. When I woke up she wasn't there at her sleeping bag." Shippo was almost gonna cry but stopped himself.
"What's happening Inuyasha?" Miroku asked the hanyo as he yawned.
"Where's Kagome?" Sango asked the hanyo as well, also yawning as Kirara stretched himself to wake his senses.
"This is bad." The hanyo said as he thought of where Kagome could be, "I'm going to find her."
And so the hanyo went out of the hut to look for the miko. But before he could go far, Inuyasha saw the miko walking towards his direction. Kagome. He thought. The he called to her,
"Kagome!"
The miko looked at where the voice had come from and saw Inuyasha running towards her. He stopped on where she is and was met by the hanyo.
"Where have you been?!" the hanyo asked her angrily.
"I-I'm sorry Inuyasha. I just took a stroll in the forest." The miko said to him.
"Don't do this again, Kagome! Or I'll- I'll…Oh Kagome." The hanyo, in his fear of loosing the miko hugged her close in his arms. "Never do this to me again Kagome. Okay?" the hanyo whispered to the miko as he hugged her more close.
The Miko's heart leaped as the hanyo showed his concern to her. In her mind, this was enough to make her happy before she goes with Naraku.
"Inuyasha, it's okay. I'll never do it again. I promise." The miko said as she hugged the hanyo back.
After a while, both of them parted from each other's embrace. Miroku, Sango, Shippo and Old Kaede looked at the two and just smiled at what they saw.
"Come on, let's go back to the hut." Inuyasha said as he took the miko's hand to lead her to the hut but the miko stayed on where she was. The hanyo stopped as he felt that the miko wasn't leaving her place. He looked at the miko and saw sorrow in her eyes,
"I-I-Inuyasha, before we go back. Someone wants to see you."
The miko said as she stood on her place, her hands over each other on her lap as she looked at the ground as if she was scared of saying something to him. Then she walked away from him and went to the forest near them. After a few minutes, she went out of the woods and was follow by someone else. Inuyasha looked at the person behind Kagome. As both of them were close to him, he saw who the miko's companion was. His eyes widened at the sight of the person he knew had died. Kikyo. It was Kikyo. She's alive! Kagome nodded at Kikyo as they were near Inuyasha to go to him. The revived miko went to Inuyasha and both of them looked at each other as though it had been a long time since they have seen each other.
The hanyo couldn't believe on what he was seeing. But she was there in front of him.
"Kikyo…" he whispered her name.
The miko smiled at him. And the hanyo, because of his longing to see and be with Kikyo hugged her as though for years he hadn't been with her.
"Kikyo, you're alive." He said as he embraced her close.
"Yes, I'm here."
Kagome who was behind them was happy for the hanyo that he had finally return to his normal self. As the hanyo and the revived miko had their intimate time with each other she went to the hut where her friends were. As she drew near the little cottage, she saw Miroku, Sango and Shippo outside the cottage waiting for her.
"Kagome are you all right?" the demon slayer asked as she was near them.
The miko stopped walking when she was just a few feet away from them and answered, "I'm fine. Don't worry." She smiled at her friends not to let them get more worried seeing the not-so-good situation that she was in at the moment.
"That Inuyasha sure is such a double crosser." Shippo said as he jumped at Kagome's shoulder. "But how can Kikyo be alive? We saw her die and disappear at the rocky plains."
The miko answered her, "Well Shippo, there are things that are out of our hands. Her return from the dead cannot be explained to you. But at the right time, you'll know how she returned." The miko patted the young demon's head.
After a few minutes of their tight embrace, Kikyo and Inuyasha moved from each other and went to the others. As they were walking, they hear Kagome say something to the others.
"Listen guys, from now on Kikyo is going to live here. She's going with us where ever we go."
As the hanyo heard what the miko said, he turned to Kikyo and asked,
"Is it True?"
The miko nodded her answer. Inuyasha was so happy to know about it. After that all of them began to make a gathering for the return of the revived miko and for having her back in the village.
That afternoon everybody was celebrating merrily. Some villagers danced around a huge fire in the middle of the village. Some were eating and drinking, contenting themselves the whole afternoon with happiness. Inuyasha sat beside Kikyo as the miko laid her head on his shoulder while Sango and Miroku sat beside each other as well, and Kirara at their back. Shippo was giving them the entertainment as he transformed into different forms in front of them. The whole afternoon was really a joyous occasion.
But as the people were having a great time, Kagome watched then behind one of the cottages in the village, as she wanted to see Inuyasha and her friends' joyful moment. She looked at the hanyo who was beside the revived miko his face full of contentment and happiness. He's happy. I can now leave them from this moment on. The miko thought to herself. She then went into the forest and was met by a harsh blowing wind, which was a sign of Kagura's landing. The Demon Wind Goddess landed her huge feather on the ground and went off it. She then faced the miko and as the feather returned to it's normal size, she put it back on her hair.
"Naraku said that you could stay here until nighttime." Kagura began, "He will be the one to fetch you. You will know if he's here coz he'll talk to you telepathically."
"Is that so? Then tell him my thanks." Kagome told Kagura.
"I will. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must return to him. So long."
"Yes. Thank you."
With that Kagura, took from her hair the feather and the wind started to blow violently until she rode on it and flew away. Kagome by then returned to the village and was met by Shippo.
"Where have you been, Kagome?" the kitsune asked.
"I just walked in the forest to let out a little stress, Shippo." Kagome replied.
"Never mind. Come with me and we'll enjoy the celebration!"
Shippo took hold of the miko's hand and guided her to where the villagers and her friends were.
"Kagome, join us here!" Sango called her best friend as she waved at her, wanting her to seat with them.
Inuyasha who heard Kagome's name being called looked at where the miko was. He was enjoying the occasion but when he saw her there was something inside him that felt a bit sad. He was with Kikyo at the moment but as he saw the other miko. He can't help but feel guilty.
Kagome saw the hanyo look at him with a worried look. She didn't want to see the hanyo like that so she waved at him with a smile to show that she was enjoying the celebration. The hanyo saw her wave at him and as he saw her smile, the guilt that he felt managed to go away a bit that he smiled at her in return. The kitsune lead Kagome to seat beside Sango who was also near Kikyo. And so, all of them had fun that afternoon.
But as tears come after laughter, Inuyasha did not know that his happiness would just fade away after that night.
At nighttime, everybody was already cleaning the area where they had the small celebration. Everybody help including Kagome. The villagers were sweeping the ground; Shippo and Kirara put off the fire in the middle of the village, and Sango and Miroku helped in throwing the garbages while Inuyasha lead Kikyo to Kaede's hut for her to have rest.
As Kagome continued on cleaning with the villagers, she heard a voice calling her name.
"Kagome."
She looked around to see who it was but there was no one that she saw that could be the one calling her. So again she continued with her work but after a few seconds the voice was there again calling her.
"Kagome."
Just then she remembered that Kagura told her that Naraku would be the one to fetch her that night and he will communicate with her telepathically. So, she knew then, that it was the filthy demon calling her. She replied to his call telepathically as well. As she was sweeping, she was talking with the demon through her mind.
"What is it, Naraku?" she asked.
The demon answered, "Time is up for you my dear miko. I am here in the middle of the forest waiting for you."
The miko felt sorrowed for she has to leave her friends and go with their enemy. But that was what she had committed, so she needed to follow.
"Okay, I understand. I'll go there." She told the demon.
And the demon broke their communication. Kagome left her cleaning job to one of the villagers and went to where Naraku was but Kikyo met her on the way to the forest.
"Where are you going?" the revived miko asked.
The other miko replied, "It's time for me to leave. Please don't tell anybody of what you know."
There was silence for a few seconds after then Kikyo told Kagome. "You are a worthless woman, Kagome. How could you leave the one you love all alone?"
Kagome was surprised to hear what Kikyo said and replied, "Call me whatever you want. But my decision is clear. This is the first time I heard you say a word such as 'worthless' to me." She told the revived miko, as she couldn't believe that Kikyo could say such a thing to her, "Now, please excuse me, I must go."
Kagome took a step but Kikyo just blocked her way.
At the village…
All were finished cleaning. Everybody went back to their huts and slept the night away except for those inside Kaede's hut. Sango was pacing back and forth inside the hut worried of where Kagome was. Shippo was seating impatiently beside a sleeping Kirara near the wall. Miroku was worried as he looked at the pacing Sango in front of him. Just then Inuyasha went inside with Kaede behind him.
"Inuyasha, Kagome isn't here." Sango told the hanyo.
"And so is Kikyo." Miroku added. "I'm worried, I can feel something strange. Maybe you should find them."
"I'll go look for Kagome in the woods. Com' on Kirara, let's go." Sango said as she rode on Kirara.
"Me too. I'll go with you, Sango!" Shippo called to her and rode on Kirara as well.
Inuyasha agreed with the demon slayer and told her, "All right. I'll go find Kikyo near the river and here around the village." He then ordered to Miroku, " Miroku stay here with Old Kaede and see if both of them returns."
"Okay, I'll stay." Miroku replied, assuring them he'd be waiting inside for them.
And so Inuyasha, Shippo, Sango, together with Kirara searched for the two mikos.
While back at the forest…
"Stay out of my way, Kikyo." Kagome ordered.
"No, I won't." Kikyo replied.
"Please understand Kikyo. I need to do this." Kagome made her understand, "This is for all of us."
"For all of us?" Kikyo told her in her normal calm and cold voice, "Maybe for you that is. You're as selfish as the filthy demon. You do not care about other people's feelings. You only care for what you think is right. You'll hurt Inuyasha if you'll do this."
"Selfish I may be to you, but I am doing this for the one I love. Now please move aside!" Kagome pushed Kikyo aside that she fell on the ground on her butt. "I'm sorry if I have to do that." She told the miko and ran as fast as she can. Kikyo didn't have time to follow her. She was already far.
The miko ran until she was at the middle of the woods, there in front of her was the filthy demon, Naraku.
"I've been waiting here for a long time." He told the miko.
"I'm sorry for being late. Let's go now." Kagome told him as she walked towards Naraku.
But as she was a few feet away from him, a huge boomerang whirled towards Naraku's direction that made the miko step back. Naraku caught the boomerang, thrusting it on the ground to make it stay in position. Just then, Kirara suddenly appeared flying from the treeful part of the forest, on her rode Sango who had in her hand a dagger planning to attack Naraku. But the demon made a barrier around him, which the dagger couldn't go through. And as the barrier disappeared, the filthy demon took hold the slayer's hand with the dagger and threw her away making the demon cat fly with her as well hitting a huge tree, making both of them unconscious.
"Sango!" Kagome called her name with a scared voice as she saw her friend slayer knocked on the ground. She then looked back at Naraku with pleading eyes as she told him, "Please, don't hurt them!"
The lowbred demon just smirked and said, "I can do anything I want. You couldn't stop me from what I want to do."
Unknown to them, someone was secretly watching them from the trees. It was Shippo. As the slayer flew towards Naraku, he jumped off from Kirara and hid behind the trees. Shippo saw what had happened and felt that he needed to get help.
"Ka-ka-kagome…Sa-sango…" The Kitsune said in a shaken voice, his eyes were watery. He didn't know what to do that he ran as quickly away from where he was to find Inuyasha for help.
While Naraku had hurt Sango and Shippo ran off to find Inuyasha, the hanyo searched for the revived miko and found her seating beside a tree outside the forest. She was resting. Inuyasha ran towards her and in a few seconds, he was there by her side.
"Kikyo." He said her name.
The miko looked at him but then looked away to the ground after. Inuyasha sensed something strange from what she was acting. The miko's expression was worrisome.
"Is there anything wrong, Kikyo?" The hanyo asked her.
As the miko continued to look at the ground, she told him, "I-I-I'm sorry Inuyasha."
The half demon didn't understand why she was apologizing. He hadn't remembered anything that she had done wrong.
'Why are you saying that to me?" the Inu hanyo looked at her, confused.
The miko didn't know how to say what she was going to tell him, but then she managed to speak,
"Kagome," she told him
"What about Kagome?" the hanyo asked wondering what is it about the other miko.
"Kagome, was the one who brought me back to life."
"What?"
"Yes, because she wanted you to be happy and return to your normal self."
The miko couldn't believe that she was telling what she promised she would not to the other miko but she had to.
"In order to bring me back to life, she accepted a bargain with Naraku that in order to give me life again, she will, in return, render her soul to him and be one of his minions." Kikyo couldn't face Inuyasha as she said those words.
The Inu hanyo could not believe on what he was hearing.
"Kagome-, made a bargain with Naraku…"
"I'm so sorry Inuyasha, Just a few minutes ago, I met her here at this place. She was going to Naraku for he is there in the forest waiting for her. It was time for her to go with him. I stopped her but she still wanted to go in return for my life and your happiness that she always wanted to see and feel."
Inuyasha felt like he was stabbed. Kagome gave her soul to Naraku just for him to see Kikyo again. All of the time, he wanted to be alone for he felt sorrowed for the lose of Kikyo. Yet he didn't know that there was a person who could be hurt by his actions. And that was Kagome. Why didn't he think of that? He was so selfish. Most of the time, he would sulk as he lost Kikyo but what about Kagome? She continued to stay by his side even thought he wasn't giving her much attention.
Because of the guilt and anger that he felt, he clenched his fist and hit the trunk of an old tree forcefully that it made a whole on it.
"How could she do this? This is all my fault." He told himself fin pity.
Just as the hanyo was blaming himself and let out his anger, Shippo came in the scene, running towards the hanyo and the miko.
"Inuyasha! Inuyasha!" the young demon fox called.
The hanyo heard the call of the kitsune and looked at where he was. So did the miko.
"Shippo?" the hanyo thought.
"Inuyasha!" he called again as he was in front of the Inu hanyo.
"What is it, Shippo?"
"Inuyasha, it's Kagome. She's going with Naraku in the middle of the forest. Sango is there too but she was knocked unconscious by the filthy demon!"
"This isn't good." the hanyo was alarmed.
'Inuyasha, we have to go there before it's too late." Kikyo told Inuyasha in concern.
The hanyo agreed with the miko. He made her ride on his back and Shippo followed them at their back. They quickly ran as Inuyasha traced Kagome's scent.
As the three went to where Naraku was, Sango woke up from her unconsciousness and slowly stood in order to continue on her battle with Naraku. She stood, her body shaking. The demon cat beside her woke up as well and stood up, slowly beside her.
"N-Naraku, leave Kagome alone!" Sango told the demon as she took another dagger from her side. Kirara who stood beside her roared in agreement with her master.
"Hm. How stupid humans are." Naraku said as he told her about their bargain, "Haven't your dear miko told you about the little deal that we had?"
"Deal? What deal?" the slayer asked, clueless.
"The deal that we have in bringing back Kikyo's life." He told her, "In order to return Kikyo to this world, she has to give me her soul. And she did. Now she's one of my possessions and no one can take her from me."
Sango was shocked to hear what the demon had told her. She looked at her friend miko with questioning eyes because she thought that she could never do such a thing.
The miko saw her friend slayer looking at her with in confusion and denial of what the demon had told her. The miko could not look at her in the eye for she knew that what the demon said was true and what she had done was wrong for her friends.
"I'm sorry Sango." That was all she could say to her close friend slayer with a heavy heart.
Sango never thought that Kagome could do such a thing, to go with their enemy and be one of his servants. She was now just like Kohaku before.
"No, Kagome. You're lying, aren't you? This can't possibly be true."
"But it is Sango! It is…" Kagome shouted her reply but them managed to calm down and started to cry, "Sorry… I'm so sorry…" Kagome covered her face with her hands and cried her heart out. She had betrayed her friends. She became a traitor.
"Now that you have heard it straight from you're dear friend. You should believe in what I have said." Naraku told the slayer, "Now leave her to me and we will go."
The demon slayer couldn't move from where she was. She was shaken by what she knew.
"Why? Why Kagome?" Sango whispered to herself as she started to cry. But even though it was a whisper. Kagome heard it and looked at the demon slayer. Sango was crying. Her knees were starting feel weak that she knelt on the ground because of the hurt that she felt inside her. The slayer covered one hand on her face and cried her disbelief out. Kagome heard her friends cry. She was hurt inside as well but kept it hidden.
"Kagome let's go." Naraku called to her.
And so the Miko walked towards Naraku for them to leave. But as she was beside the filthy demon, She heard her name being called.
"Kagome!"
She looked back and saw Inuyasha running towards their direction with Kikyo on his back and Shippo behind them.
"Inuyasha?" She whispered in the air, as she was surprised to see him there and shouted his name again. "Inuyasha!"
But it was too late. Naraku made a barrier, surrounding both of them. As the barrier covered them wholly, both of them began to fly away.
"Kagome!" The Inu hanyo called again as he was near the two's meeting place. But he couldn't follow them anymore for they were already far. Even the power of the Tessaiga couldn't reach the barrier. It was really to late for them now. The half dog demon stood in the middle of the forest looking at the sky as the violet color of the glowing barrier faded in the atmosphere.
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